Great River Custom Homes Ltd.

We hired Great River Custom Homes Ltd on July 24, 2019. They started the demolition of the concrete and the structure on this day. After 1.5 weeks approx, they came back and asked us for additional $2500.00 to cover wages as the materials would be costing more than what they thought. We gave it to them.

They came back another time and started to put in a forming wall for the foundation. They built the bottom of it as well as one of the walls and did not do anything further.

We contacted them to find out why no work or materials were delivered as they had stated would arrive and we were told it was because the concrete from the pad (now broken up in a large pile and covered in dirt from their digging) needed to be removed as it was in the way. They said they were finding it difficult for a company to come and remove it for a reasonable price. After 3 weeks, my husband I removed the concrete ourselves and took it to the dump.

We called Joe back (the father of Michael Horvath) asking if things could continue as the concrete was done. They showed up a few days later to continue to level out the forming wall they put in and dig on either side. This was one day of work.

After a week and a half and again no work being done, we called Joe again and asked what was happening. He told us that on Wednesday (2 days from the phone call) that they would come and pour the concrete for the foundation. I explained that was impossible because only HALF of the wall was actually framed! Nothing on the other side! He said he didn't realize that they hadn't finished it, acted like he was mad and said that he would have someone come over and complete it.

Guess what? No one came. After numerous phone calls and numerous excuses from both Joe and Thor Spencer (his project manager) nothing was done.

Middle of October came and after still no work, despite being told that they would have our job completed in 4 to 6 weeks we fired Great River Custom Homes Ltd.

We asked for just over $4000.00 to be returned out of the nearly $8000.00 we had given this company. Joe told us he would reimburse us, texted me it would be e-transferred or another time he would come by to drop it off. All of which never happened.

We tried to work with Joe to resolve this to no avail.

We have taken the matter to court, and the court has ruled in our favor, but now Joe, and his son are not answering their phones, have moved, and the addresses listed under the BC Registry Service are incorrect.

PS. The job they did provide on our house was not done well and needed to be redone.

DO NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY!

We signed a contract for a renovation project June 2018.

After 7 months into the project with little to no work done. After signing the contract and putting a deposit down they pretty much dug a hole and did a disappearing act.

Originally we hired them to do a small retaining wall at the front of the house and complete slab work in this area. We paid him in full for that. At first we thought it looked fine, then quickly realized they did not do what they were suppose to do and the work lay unfinished. He said he would fix it all when he was doing the project at the back of the house. So not alone did he take advantage of us on the front wall and slabs and take our money, but now he has a deposit for the back of the house too.

We have tried to phone him, text him, email him, even reaching out to his so called "project manager "who had recommend him and his company.

Now and then he will throw us "crumbs" when we would make a fuss and advise him we will seek legal advice. He got the slabs finished at the front, which are poorly cut, installed and unstable, again he was going to make them right too. They then tore up the basement put in framing for the bathroom and some pipping for plumbing purposes (failed inspection since) and again disappeared.

Bearing in mind the time frame of the project was a month and half approx.

At the beginning we advised him in June we needed it done for a party on August 27th 2018. He said it would not be a problem. Yet again he would disappear and ignore us. Every time we would reach out to him, he would never answer his phone, disabled his voicemail so you couldn't leave a message. Then nothing would happened and we would start all over again asking when he was coming to be ignored or presented with another excuse, the excuses never ended. We advised him that we spoke to the District and that a permit was needed even though he kept telling us it was not.

We finally met up with him at our home after 4 months; he promised us the sun, moon and stars. We signed paperwork for the permit. We then had to wait another month for the permit; because he left 4 months go by. When we met in person he stood in my kitchen and shook my hand and said he was will get it done. He played us for fools. He would ring up and say “he wanted to take us to dinner” because he felt "so bad" at his "Steak" restaurant. We declined of course. I did not buy a steak I bought a deck, awning, retaining wall, bathroom, etc....we advised him that the permit was ready as we called the district. He was going to pick it up and get the work done, because in October we advised him my parents were due to come for Christmas. He said 3 weeks no problem he would have it done! Nothing happened. We tried reaching out again Jan 28th 2019 and lone behold we were ignored.

We spoke to the District on the 29th January 2019, they advised us he did not pick it up. We have given him chance after chance to do this project. We were now at Jan 30th 2019; 7 months later we are no further along.

If I can advise anyone do NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY. They sign contracts in one name and the use their other business Vantone Construction/Vantone Development Group Ltd. when applying for a permit. They operate under multiple company names, this is not their first rodeo and have been on the run since, changing company address and phone numbers multiple times. If I can say one customer the grief by posting this review it will be worth it. We may have lost financially but Karma will catch up with you eventually.